Lobes and Robes

In this new episode of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Dennis M. Patterson, Board of Governors Professor at Rutgers Law School, to explore the concept of anti-reductionism in neurolaw, the human mind and brain, and the important distinction between conceptual and empirical questions. #LobesAndRobes #Neurolaw #LawAndScience #Podcast

In this new episode of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Troy Roepke, Professor at the Department of Animal Sciences at Rutgers University, to explore the harms and legal effects of defining sex as a binary, gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), sex as a biological variable (SABV), and how gender biases affect scientific research and health outcomes, especially for trans persons and cis-gen...

In this new episode of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Christopher Sundby, Assistant PRofessor of LAw at the University of Tennessee College of Law, to discuss how neuroscience should be involved in reforming the rules of evidence, the present sense impression rule as a case study for testing psychological assumptions about lying, the possibility that some neurointerventions may reduce the n...

We are excited to share a new episode of Lobes and Robes, featuring Dr. Teneille Brown, Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, where she also serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Center for Law and Biomedical Sciences. She also teaches at the university’s Center for Health, Ethics, Arts, and Humanities. Professor Brown’s research is...

Kicking off Season 5 of Lobes and Robes, we are joined by Dr. Colleen Berryessa from Rutgers University to explore how neuroscience intersects with the criminal justice system. We discuss criminal justice, how biological characteristics can affect criminal sentencing, scientific literacy among jurors and judges, and many other interesting topics from her work. #LobesAndRobes #Neurolaw #LawAndNeuro...

In this final episode of Season 4, we welcome Gustavo Ribeiro, an associate professor of law at American University Washington College of Law, who specializes in evidence, civil procedure, and the philosophical dimensions of legal proof. Professor Ribeiro, who will become the new co-host of Lobes & Robes in Season 5, discusses the complex challenges of using scientific evidence in courtrooms....

In this episode, we interview Dr. Jonathan Tubman, professor of psychology at American University, about his research on effective interventions for vulnerable adolescents. Dr. Tubman, whose interdisciplinary work spans multiple aspects of applied developmental psychology, highlights how adolescent development has transformed historically; whereas  puberty occurred at 17-18 years old in the 1850s,...

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Adriana Galvan, professor of psychology at UCLA and director of the Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory. Dr. Galvan reveals how the adolescent brain is uniquely designed for growth and learning through a second wave of neuroplasticity. Dr. Galvan explains that the prefrontal cortex—responsible for emotion regulation and planning—continues developing into the early...

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Colin Saldana as our new co-host and delve into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience and criminal law. Our guest, Dr. Deborah Denno, an expert in the field, joins us to discuss her broad study of the historical uses of neuroscience in criminal cases. We explore a range of topics, including the way neuroscience has been used and misused in the courtroom;...

This episode features popular culture critic Dr. Despina Kakoudaki, author of the book Anatomy of a Robot: Literature, Cinema, and the Cultural Work of Artificial People. Dr. Kakoudaki, a professor at American University, discusses how fantasy and science fiction imagine artificial persons. She discusses how literary and cinematic art depict machines as having human-like, or even super-human, inte...

This episode features leading researcher on therapeutic uses of psychedelics, Dr. Matthew W. Johnson of the Sheppard Pratt Institute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Dr. Johnson summarizes the current research on the potential benefits of psychedelics for treatment of depression, addiction, and other conditions; the known risks and benefits of such treatments; and Dr. Johson’s important...

The “gut–brain axis" is a system by which the gastrointestinal tract communicates with the brain. In this episode, Dr. Scott Kanoski , Co-director of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute at the University of Southern California, shares his research and expertise about the gut-brain system. He discusses how diet, hormones, and the millions of bacteria that comprise our gut microbiota act on...

This episode features Dr. Francis Shen, a leader in the emerging field of “neurolaw,” which seeks to bring the insights of neuroscience and law together in ways that can be mutually beneficial to both disciplines. Dr. Shen shares his insights into some of the areas in which neurolaw shows great promise, including law and mental health, aging brains, brain injury, lie detection, and more. We discus...

The effects of consuming non-nutritive sweeteners on weight control and health and well-being have been a source of continuing controversy. Dr. Sylvetsky, a professor and scientist at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University in Washington DC, talks with us about her research on the consumption of artificially sweetened food and beverages by children and adults....

Alzheimer’s Disease and similar late-life dementias pose serious threats to human health and well-being.  These cognitive disorders can be devastating not only for patients, but also for the family members and friends that care for them. Dr. Gayatri Devi, MD, a nationally recognized neurologist and author of the influential book, ”A Spectrum of Hope: An Optimistic and New Approach to Alzheimer’s D...

The desire to lose weight is pervasive in our society.  Some people want to lose a few pounds to look better while for many others weight loss can help to reduce serious threats to their health and well-being.  Historically, dieting as a means of losing excess pounds, and keeping lost weight off, has produced disappointing results for many people. However, there are surgical and, more recently, ph...

This episode builds from Dr. Khohkar’s interview in our last episode, in which he outlines the many ways in which discrimination and hate-based behavior have been shown to have negative effects on the brain, both for those subject to such behavior and perpetrators, as well as bystanders and others. In this episode, we talk with expert psychologist Dr. Linda McGhee, whose fields of specialization i...

In this episode, with neuroscientist and anti-discrimination advocate Dr. Jibran Khokhar, we explore the effects on the brain of experience with race-based and other identity group-based discrimination including Islamophobia. Dr. Khokhar discusses findings from neuroscientific, psychological and epidemiological studies that reveal the adverse health effects of experiencing such discrimination, inc...

This episode puts previous guest Dr. Tara White in dialogue with Professor James May of Delaware Law School, an expert on human rights law and dignity jurisprudence. Along with our cohosts, Dr. White and Prof. May explore the many points of overlap between dignity neuroscience and the principles of human rights law. They discuss issues including human agency, the right to be free from fear and wan...

In this episode we interview Dr. Tara White, a neuroscientist who studies issues at the intersection of neuroscience and psychology, including how individuals make meaning and feel and act on a sense of agency in their lives. We focus on an exciting term Dr. White recently coined, “dignity neuroscience,” to describe the links between the findings of neuroscience about what conditions promote human...

Neuroscientist Dr. Laurie Bayet , a professor in the department of neuroscience at AU who focuses on the study of infant cognition, discusses her path-breaking research on the cognitive development of the infant brain. Dr. Bayet discusses her and others’ work on how babies see and come to understand the world around them. She explains some of the creative techniques used to study what infants are...

In this podcast, we meet Dr. Colin Saldanha , a professor in the neuroscience department at AU who talks with us about his research on hormones and the brain. He discusses the fascinating findings coming out about the role of estrogens in both male and female brains. Dr. Saldanha discusses hormonal change over the life span, the reasons cycling occurs in females but not males, and the similarities...

Dr. Jay Schulkin, a guest speaker on the Lobes & Robes Podcast: Session 2, Episode 1 , passed away recently after a short illness. He will be remembered as "an outstanding researcher, scholar, colleague, and friend" - Dr. Terry Davidson, Trone Family Eminent Scholar Chair in Neuroscience and Behavior Department of Neuroscience, American University.     

This episode features Dr. Jay Schulkin, a noted author and neuroscientist with training in philosophy. We explore the connections between the development of neuroscience as a discipline and the rise of the classical pragmatist philosophers, including John Dewey, Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, as well as the proto-pragmatist jurist Oliver Wendell Jones, Jr. What are the connections between...

Can neuroscience help remedy discrimination against members of traditionally subordinated groups that are protected under U.S. anti-discrimination law? In this episode, the two podcast co-hosts, Dr. Terry Davidson and Prof. Susan Carle, engage in a friendly debate on the potential usefulness of neuroscience in developing knowledge about how discrimination occurs and how it might be ameliorated thr...